Ninja
by art ink
Summary: two clans, hint of comedy,Kenshin will show up later in the chapter...you get the point GOOD NEws i wrote a lot for this and yes i will space things out lol


This story has been revised and edited, and revised and edited, hope you like the changes, and i decided to continue it because i felt like i could save it, so i put alot of chapters on this page because i didnt want you to wait to read the chapters, so i gave you what i have so far, still dont know how it will end. Thankyou, (Disclaimer, I dont own Rurouni Kenshin)

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Chapter 1: ATTACKED

The ninja, Kaoru, slid across the rooftops like a shadow. She called out to her comrades through a small chirp. The mission was to be a look out for other clans that may be lurking around. So far nothing came up.

She leaped over the dark building and onto the thatched roof as silent as the night.

A normal person would not hear anything if they didn't train their ears. She listened alertly to all the sounds that reached her ears. Nothing in particular stood out.

Slight footsteps echoed to her. She turned to her left.

Sano was there and he was so loud to her. If he had been her enemy, he would have already been taken down.

His footsteps echoed with every step he took. Her eyes sought him and he looked up and shrugged apologetically. Sano had been recently hurt so he moved stiffly. It was not his fault, she reasoned to herself. Swiftly she created some distance between him.

Sano would surely give her away.

Nothing had happened so far but she felt as if someone else was close by and was not part of her clan. The person was near her and was unaware of her presence or so she had thought.

She clutched her blade behind her back and braced herself for an attack.

A soft blow from the wind confirmed that she was the prey. She lifted her dark hood and hid her face in its sheltered darkness.

Drawing her blade she attacked as the enemy appeared before her. Each blow was thrust back at her with equal force.

Gravity kept pushing her down and making it harder to attack more swiftly.

Her enemy also clad in black was skilled with controlled movements that moved as if on their own accord. It was obvious that he was taught by a great master.

Victory would not be easy. Sano was within her range and hope flickered across her mind. Sano though he was loud and noisy was an accomplished ally no matter what way you looked at it.

She rushed to him and they stood back to back. Her enemy appeared again and blocked each attack thrown his way. Another one appeared and attacked her upfront.

The force knocked her away from Sano and towards the roof edge.

Side stepping she balanced herself as he attacked once more.

Her sheltered veil was thrust off and her hair and eyes exposed. Her attacker took a step back and vanished. The other one withdrew from the area as well.

Sano looked at her cautiously. He signaled her and they scoped the area once more searching for the invading clans. She scanned the area with one glance. It was too late to find the enemy tonight.

The sky was getting lighter. A few people were starting to appear from their homes doing daily chores. No trace was left by the mysterious people so they headed back home.

They both headed back to the main way home.

"I don't understand why a clan would attack this area." Kaoru said when they reached the hidden clan area. She climbed above the tree's and jumped into the camp. It would soon be light soon.

Already the sky was lighter and birds chirping their tunes.

"I'll go tell Aoishii." Sano said taking the initiative to alert the leader. He nodded his goodnight and slipped into the leaders tent.

Kaoru sighed slightly. She was tired from her battle. Why would the attacker miss her head on purpose? Why had her hood only been injured?

She tightened her fingers around the hood now in shreds. They had a purpose and it had something to do with her.

Otherwise she would not have survived. Following her hidden path she jumped up her tree and lifting up a branch slid within it. Not all ninja's had this but she preferred to remain invisible within the clan.

She grabbed her changing clothes and traveled deep within the ground to her homemade bath house. After an hour Sano joined her in the tree and slept in his bunk. He was almost like family to her.

She sleepily opened one eye at Sano who hushed her back to sleep.

The hours passed before she roused awake. Stretching with soar arms she shook off her sleepiness and got up to get breakfast or lunch judging the time of the day. Sano was still asleep since he had come in later that morning.

No doubt he was still tired so she didn't wake him up just yet. Timidly she crawled out of the tree and alerted her senses. Kin ninja's were near and they were on guard.

So, Sano really did tell Aoishii she thought.

She walked near the practice area. Yahiko was working extremely hard. Sweat trickled down his brow and his bokken was held tightly in his hands. "Yahiko, you need to loosen your grip and don't slouch." As his instructor she had to tell him what he was doing wrong though she was barely a few years older then him.

As a kid she had been Sano's pupil even though he was basically the same age as her. Sano had learned long before her but she was skilled beyond his level as soon as she learned. She had the ability to learn all that she was taught at a quick pace.

Their was a time when the tribes of ninja gathered together to celebrate victory of the war. That peace was destroyed once treaties were broken. Kaoru's own parents had lost their lives in a quarrel between the clans.

She remembered perfectly which clan had taken their lives. It was the Flaming Sword clan.

She belonged to Hidden Leaves clan. Things had changed a lot during the past and it seemed like nothing could cure the pain it left behind. It brought a soft bruise in her chest to think of her lost parents that she would never be able to forget.

She disregarded her feelings and made her way to the food station. Their was a long line, so she snuck in the back.

The soft sound of her footsteps echoed on the soft ground beneath her feat. Misao was Aoishii's wife who waited patiently for Kaoru in the back of the station.

Misao smiled lovingly at the raven haired girl as she came to her. She treated Kaoru as her daughter and provided her with the best of foods.

Kaoru smiled upon greeting her mother like friend who gave her a basket of food to take. Taking the food, she thanked Misao deeply and headed back to Sano.

It turned out that Sano was up and dressed when she came back. He stood stretching and flexing himself to make her laugh.

"Your up?" She asked surprised and smirked.

"Aww you brought me breakfast. Thank you sis." He smiled warmly eyeing her basket of goods. In his eyes Kaoru was his little sister and he was her big brother. They may have looked unalike on the outside but inside they felt a strong family affection for one another.

Kaoru's hair was black and Sano's was brown. Her eyes were blue and his were brown.

Kaoru rolled her eyes and tossed him a warm roll. "Here eat this." She said yawning slightly. Rubbing the sleep from her eye she sat down on a wooden stool.

"Somebody's sleepy." Sano said winking.

She grinned but didn't reply. The food was more inviting then a conversation with Sano but she had to control her food intake.

If they got attacked every night they surveyed the town then she would need to keep her weight down and get a lot of sleep.

The only place she could relax was in the camp or in her home. Trudging her feet she left and went back to the training area and practiced her technique's. Using her bokken helped her practice and avoid straining her arms.

Yahiko watched in amazement at his master. For a girl she really knew how to use a bokken. Kaoru stopped and attacked him on the side lines. He jumped back in surprise.

She hissed, "You must always be careful even when you know the person. You cant let your guard down." Turning her attention to the approaching Sano, she practiced more.

Sano stood sleepily on the side near Yahiko when Kaoru attacked him. He was swift and avoided the impact. Kaoru smiled, "See even Sano doesn't let his guard down."

"That's right cause I'm your master." Sano said with pride and patting Kaoru lightly on her head.

"Okay, that's enough practice for today." Aoishii (The main master on the Hidden Leaves village) said approaching the practice arena. He stood resolutely and sternly asked with dark eyes, "Kaoru I need to speak to you."

Sano followed Kaoru but Aoishii stopped him with a look that said, "I only need to speak with her." Sano understood perfectly but he felt uneasy.

"It has come to my attention that you were not hurt from yesterdays attack but Sano had a few scratches. I also heard that once your hood was cut off they dispersed and were nowhere in the area. I don't believe that is a coincidence. I will keep you and Sano on guard duty but I must hear of any attacks near the area. Wether it be the Flaming sword or even the Moonlit Star villages, you must always report your findings straight to me. Have I made myself clear?" Aoishii asked looking concerned as well as stern.

His dark eyes sought hers.

"Yes sir." Kaoru said quickly feeling the seriousness of the situation. A hint of suspicion arose within her. She wanted to know why Aoishii had

"Good, you may go now."

"Thank you sir." Kaoru said briskly walking away.

The night came fast and Kaoru and Sano hunched over separate buildings. This time they had an ally with them. They brought little Yahiko on his third mission. Having fought previously in a battle, Kaoru felt that he was ready.

It was as if the enemies had known what would happen because they appeared with the exact same number. Kaoru assured Yahiko of his skills by meeting his nervous eyes with her own assured ones.

The attacks were powerful but they didn't harm her. No matter how they attacked, she remained unharmed.

The leader of the group appeared before her and while the others were occupied, he blew white powder in her face and she couldn't concentrate.

Sano was busy and so was little Yahiko.

They both had not seen her struggling and if they had, how could they help when the one they fought together was so skilled.

She tried desperately to signal for help but couldn't find the strength to as she fought the same ninja clad in black. Her strength was sinking as well as her hopes. Each attack as firm as the one before her caused her to use all she had to block it.

The ninja clad in black laughed slightly and it caused a shiver to go up her spine for it was most ghastly.

He pretended to go and attack her comrades and she fell for it.

He used the opportunity to distract her so that he could attack her from the side. He merely hit her softly on her side at a pressure point causing all her air to come out of her.

Though the feeling only last for a moment, she was subdued within the fraction of a minute.

She frantically clawed the air seeking an escape from the trenches of her enemy.

A sinking feeling drugged her senses as a cloth was pushed in her face and she lost sight of everything.

Her attacker swiftly picked up Kaoru and carried her away across the rooftops.

He jumped swiftly across buildings and signaled the other who had been fighting the girls comrades to follow with a low whistled call. They instantly made hast and blew in their enemies faces.

Kaoru's companion Sano managed to call for reinforcements before drifting into sleep.

The attacker took notice of this and fled the scene instantly. They followed different paths that led to the same location which was their own hideout.

Kaoru's capturer looked at the limp girl in his arms for she had great beauty.

His master had talked of her beauty as a child and he wanted to know for sure if he had gotten the right girl. He was now content that this was she, Kamiya Kaoru that they had been waiting for.

Chapter 2: The Attack

Kaoru's senses fluttered to life while she remained lying on a colt. She dared not open them until she knew their was no one in the room. The memory of what had occurred the day before was still fresh in her mind.

That guy had taken her away but she would go back. She would find a way to escape from the village.

Kaoru's capturer sat by the exit door and stared at Kaoru with an amused expression. He knew she was awake because her eyes were fluttering and her breathing wasn't so shallow. It had taken him a minute or so to tell because she was a very good actor.

Finally her eyes fluttered open and looked directly at him.

Kaoru stared at him while he sat by the door. Her senses had alerted her of his presence but she still wanted to see what he looked like.

She blinked in surprised for the man had traits similar to that of a woman. A small frame, long hair and sparkly eyes.

For some reason, she wasn't afraid of him. In fact she felt like she had seen him before but she soon resented him when he spoke.

His eyes hardened as he tried to emphasize he was in charge, "My master would like to speak with you."

Kaoru mumbled that she would speak with him. "My clan is civil, so don't think that I have no manners. I will do as you request for I am a hostage."

An escape plan was already underway. She saw the man had no weapon on him, a lot of doors were in the hall and the ceiling had two weak spots.

She followed obediently with her head tall. He lead her to a lot of doors each had a set of doors leading to another room.

Their were too many rooms for her to remember that she gave up escaping by door. It would have been too simple anyway.

She wouldn't try to escape, she would stay here until her clan saved her.

Surely they must have seen her capturer's footsteps or caught a whiff of the hint of jasmine she wore all the time.

Her eyes traveled back the guy leading her.

Her arms weren't bound and nothing held her back from knocking him out with one blow but she didn't have the heart to because he had such a kind face.

It made her hate him and his pretty face even more. Finally the man came to a stop and turned to face her directly.

Her eyes cast over his face for the first time in great detail. He wasn't much older than herself.

The reality of this had a great impact on her. Never had she faced another ninja near her age that had progressed so much in the field.

There was no doubt in her mind that she was spared for a reason. This boy could have taken her down and killed her right there, but he didn't. Instead he spares her life.

"May I ask what your master's purpose is in capturing me?" She asked. Her face turned from observant to serious in a flash. A small flame sparked in her eyes.

"I do not know." He replied still leading the way but keeping a watchful eye on her so as not to give her time to escape. He watched her carefully, for she was not just any ninja.

Actually, she was the first around his age that attacked him straight on and almost injured him. If he had not been given orders not to harm her, she would not be so carefree as she was now.

Three more ninja's joined them. Most likely the guards of the master, she thought.

The floor was laced with intricate patterns of black and blue. The red haired boy stiffened as they progressed to a narrow hallway of blue lace. Certainly, the master was now present.

Out of habit, she reached to her side but being preoccupied as she was, she never had felt her bokken handed to her.

Her head turned in the direction the bokken came from.

It was the red headed boy that she disliked so much that gave it to her. Why was she being provided with a weapon? What did they want from her?

A man clad in deep gray shifted into view.

He appeared through a majestic blue sliding door. His attire was that of a man well dressed. His face showed a lot of character despite its serious outlook.

His smile was bemused, "I presume that you are Mrs. Kamiya, Kaoru."

"Kamiya? My last name is Sagara." Kaoru smirked unsure of what game they were playing.

The man smiled, " Okay, then its Mrs. Sagara. Good you have spunk. That will make our fight more interesting." He was given a bokken similar to Kaoru's.

"But sir, you told us to preserve her life!" The red haired boy shouted in shock.

"Calm yourself Himura. I'm not killing her, I'm just going to test her." The man smiled and that's when she saw his eyes. They were the same shade as her own.

Kaoru stood still and closed her eyes as a flashback of 6 year old childhood occurred. "_ Kaoru your dad's coming!" A boy with red hair shouted at her._

"_I know, but I'm mad at him. He made me practice a long time! So, when he turned around, I ran out of the room! I don't want to talk to him!" Kaoru said poking the boy with a stick._

"_You, sure he wont be mad?" The boy asked hiding as her dad got closer._

"_I don't know, and I don't care." Kaoru said slightly while running away again._

"_Wait for me!" The boy said as his mass of red hair flew about him._

"_Hurry, there coming Shinta! Do you want to get in trouble too?" Kaoru said as she sprinted faster to the river near town._

_The sound of the river reached her ears as she progressed. The boy followed gasping for air._

_Kaoru sat on the grass and looked at the water. She was still angry at her father. There was a grown up near by, she could sense it but it wasn't her dad. She looked up bravely and met the eyes of a man on the bridge._

_The man on the bridge smiled, "Hello, is your dad around?"_

_Kaoru huffed, "No, I'm mad at him."_

_The man asked, "Why? Why are you mad? Isn't he your dad?"_

_Kaoru shouted, "Not anymore! I disown him! He's a meanie!"_

_Shinta hushed, "Kaoru, I don't think this is a good idea. What if your dad comes? I thought it was bad to talk to strangers."_

_Kaoru turned annoyed at Shinta, "I'm not even talking to him. I'm shouting at him."_

_Shinta shuddered, "I think I see your dad."_

_Kaoru turned the direction Shinta was staring at. Her dad was here. He looked relieved than worried at the sight of the man on the bridge. His face twisted into anger, "Run! Kaoru! Run!"_

_Kaoru felt like something bad was happening so she started to run towards her father. _

_Shinta was faster and was already almost to her dad. _

_She knew she was being pursued by the man on the bridge so she tried harder to get away but tripped. _

_When she fell, she looked up to find that it was too late. A rag was shoved in her face and she blacked out."_

"Shinta." Kaoru said shocked by the memory.

The red headed boy stiffened at the name. The three guards started snickering. The man with the bokken smirked, "So you remember Shinta?"

Kaoru shook her head, "No, I don't remember. The name just came to me."

"Well, we better proceed to our fight." He said then addressed the guards, "Take us to the dojo."

Chapter 3 The Fight

Kaoru was taken to the dojo. The red headed boy pulled her aside, "How do you know the name Shinta?"

Kaoru stiffened, "I'm not telling you." She stuck out her tongue childishly because she didn't like him.

The boy smiled for some reason. Her action had triggered a memory of his own.

_He was six years old. He had come back from his tutor. _

_The sound of his best friends giggles captured his attention. He turned to find her hiding in a corner writing something on a paper. He was curious, "Hey, what are you doing?"_

_She stopped giggling, "I'm not telling you." She then stuck her tongue out at him._

"_Why not? I thought we were friends." He huffed. Sometimes she mad him mad. "I promise, I wont tell.", he continued trying to humble himself despite his pride._

"_Oh, alright. But you got to promise." She said hiding the paper behind her back as she faced him. She looked at him with her bright blue eyes which always caught him off guard._

"_I promise." He said brightly._

"_Okay, Shinta." She pulled the paper in front of her. "I wrote my name." She giggled lightly._

_He looked at the paper, "But I already know how to spell it. It's K…A…"_

"_Stop." She hushed him with her hand. "I don't want anybody else to know."_

"_But I know." He said confused."Of course, that's because I told you." She said quietly, "Remember it's a secret."_

He laughed to himself. This whole time he couldn't remember her name yet he knew it all along. He had always wondered what happened to her that day when they had departed. Well, now he knew the problem was that she didn't remember just yet.

Kaoru was getting irritated as the boy laughed at her.

She was a girl and well she felt like in some way he was making fun of her. She stared at her enemy, the master of this house. He was so sure of himself that he stood in a simple stance.

She raised her bokken steadily and created a circle around her in her mind. She grasped the bokken, aware that the man across from her might be way stronger than he looked.

She attacked slightly, to test his strength.

The man watched her swift movements that flowed. She clearly was his daughter. She held that bokken the same way she had when she was a little girl.

_He was at the age of 31. His little girl Kaoru was just six years old and begging him to teach her how to use the bokken._

"_Alright Princess. You really want to use that bokken?" He knelt down at her level._

"_Uhuh." She smiled grinning wide. "Shinta already uses one, so I want to, too."_

_He gave her a bokken, "Remember to always start like this." He demonstrated._

"_Okay, that's looks easy." She said trying to imitate his exact movements._

_She clumsily wielded it and struck the air._

_He laughed, "It takes time."_

It had been a long time since a memory like that one had entered his mind. He had been blocking her attacks for a while. "Now its my turn."

Kaoru held on tightly to her bokken. That was her lifeline. She deflected all his attacks. So far his main objective was to knock the bokken out of her hand. She refused to let that happen.

The man said, "I'm impressed that you can block all my attacks."

Kaoru answered, "Someone once told me that this bokken was my lifeline."

"Who told you that? Your father?" The man asked her sincerely.

"I don't remember my father." She huffed striking near him but missing.

"Why not?" He continued sidestepping around her attacks.

"Maybe because he was never talked about."She said annoyed at the topic of conversation.

"Has Aoishii told you nothing?" He asked a little angered.

"Why would he know anything? He rescued me. I owe him my life." She said having her anger flare.

"So, that's what he's told you?"

"Is he wrong? Is there something I don't know?" She asked glaring.

"It's time to end this." He said putting one last swing to get the bokken out of her hand.

Kaoru saw him strike the bokken out of her hand. She flipped herself backwards and barely caught the bokken in the air. "I told you, this is my lifeline. Without it, I am a failure."

"Who told you that?"

"Aoishii and he was right." She said wincing at the memory.

"_Aoishii, I cant do it." Kaoru said whimpered._

"_Yes, you can. Or you are a failure. Do you want to end up as a failure?" Aoishii huffed._

"_No. I want to be strong." She cried._

"_Then do what I say." He said sternly._

"Is something wrong?" The man asked setting aside his bokken.

"No. Are we finished here?" She said trying to be left alone.

"Yeah, were done. I was testing you. We pick up tomorrow." He said signaling the others to take her to her room.

Later on, as she went to her room she told the red head to wait out of her room. She promised him that she wouldn't run away. As soon as his aura dispersed, she cried.

She whispered, "Aoishii, I didn't drop the bokken."

The red headed boy signaled for another person to look after her, while he sent his reporting's to the master.

Chapter 4 The Situation

"Sir, do you think she may have been abused?" The red headed boy asked the master.

"I don't know Kenshin. Find out more about the tribe she was with. Her friends, maybe even her pupil. And whats with her last name Sagara. Did she marry without my permission? And why cant she remember anything?"The master pondered. "Who is this Sagara?"

Kenshin sighed, "Well, I have an idea. There was this person with her at all times during both missions. She trusted this guy, probably with her life. He is a powerful ninja. He dragged his foot on the rooftop to alert us that he was around. He knew we were after the girl way before she did. He made her alert so she could attack us readily. But its nothing more then a theory. "

The master sighed as well, "Possibly your right, boy. Possibly your right. And if so, then she might be married to this fellow."

"The problem is sir that if she truly had married that man than she would be sighing all day to get back to him." Kenshin pondered. "Is that not the way with true lovers, master?"

The master laughed, "I believe your right. Maybe she gave us the name Sagara because she was not told any other name. Smart boy." He smiled fondly as a memory collided into his brain.

"_Master is Kaoru coming back?" Kenshin said lying around the dojo sighing._

"_Yeah, but right now she's at another place. She'll be back." He said hopefully. The truth was he probably wouldn't see his daughter again and if he did then she wouldn't remember him._

"_But master she's taking too long." Kenshin whined._

"_I promise, when she comes back, she will marry you. Then you will always have her by your side. She wont ever take long, then. But you need to be strong if you want to protect her. You don't want her to disappear again do you Shinta?"_

"_No, sir." Kenshin said proudly. "I'll marry Kaoru one day. Even if she takes too long."_

"Kenshin, do you remember that promise?" The master said fondly as Kenshin was leaving.

"What promise, Hiko?" Kenshin asked confused.

"Never mind." Hiko laughed. "You'll figure it out."

Kenshin left, pondering on Hiko's question.

The next morning, Kenshin waited impatiently for Kaoru to get up. It was just like old times. "Mrs. Sagara, please get up."

He listened and heard some movement. But, when he slid the door ajar, she was still fast asleep. She mumbled, "Sano, knock it off. We still have two more years. Aoishii was dumb enough to force this."

He stiffened. So his presumptions were right and wrong. She was being forced to marry. He faced her again, "Mrs. Sagara?"

"No, don't tell dad shinta, you promised." Kaoru mumbled.

Kenshin stared, unsure whether to let her sleep or wake her up. She claimed to not remember him, yet she spoke about him in her sleep. "Mrs. Sagara?"

Kaoru rubbed her eyes, "Hmm?"

"Its morning and the master…I mean Hiko wants you present." Kenshin said tactfully.

"Hiko? Is that the master's name?" Kaoru frowned and stood up quickly.

Kenshin blushed, "I'll let you get dressed."

He rushed out of the room. Only married couples saw each other in the yukata. A guard nearby read his face. "Yakata?"

Kenshin hushed him, "Nuhuh."

"Liar." The guard laughed. "You know what the master Hiko said about you?"

"What did he say?" Kenshin asked intrigued.

"Nah, I'll let you ask him on your own." The guard quieted.

Back in the room, Kaoru sighed. She didn't know what the big deal was.

She had always seen Sano in his Yukata and he didn't seem embarrassed.

He also had seen her wearing hers and he didn't care. When she was little, Shinta told her one day that married couples only saw each other wear yukata's. Possibly, Shinta was right.

After changing, she walked in the hall. The red headed boy smiled, "Ready?"

"Uhuh." She said lightly, unsure of this boy. He seemed way nicer than the day before. In fact he sort of reminded her of Shinta. He even smirked like Shinta but she couldn't exactly remember Shinta's face in general. It was too hazy.

Hiko almost laughed when he saw his daughter Kaoru watching Kenshin. Perhaps Kenshin's wish would come true.

Kaoru kept trying to figure out the red headed boys face. He talked and walked like Shinta. His hair was like Shinta's. Yet, she couldn't remember Shinta.

Kenshin felt like he was analyzed. He wondered if she could see all the flaws or something. Most likely, she could tell that he was moving so rigidly.

Kaoru sighed. Possibly this boy wasn't Shinta.

Hiko frowned, this girl was already sighing at the table. Possibly thinking of her lover this Sagara fellow. "Are you married?"

Kaoru flushed, "No, am I supposed to be?"

"It was just a question." Hiko slyly added.

"Hiko, I mean master, may I take leave for my mission?" Kenshin asked readily.

"Of course, take one of the other clan members along."

Kaoru pondered, "What are you planning?"

Hiko asked, "Tell, me…why is your last name Sagara?"

"Aoishii gave it to me." Kaoru said warily. It was such a mundane question.

"But why?"

"I am going to be married two years from now to a guy, I am now living with." Kaoru said softly.

"So you love this uh…fellow?" Hiko said bluntly.

"Well I am suppose to." Kaoru said tactfully.

"So he has seen you in your yukata?" Hiko said with his anger rising.

"We've lived together since we were kids. We've always seen each other in our yukata's."

His anger was rising higher. It was time to leave the table. "Well, your not that much of a prisoner here. You can tell, right?"

"Of course." Kaoru said thankfully.

"Why havent you tried to escape?"

"I see no reason not to, but I cant put my village at risk."

"Are you sure that is your village?" Hiko tried reasoning.

"I'm pretty sure." Kaoru said matter of factly.

"Just think about it. We spar later in the afternoon."

Kaoru was escorted not back to her room, but to an open garden area.

"Master Hiko said to let you come into the garden to think about the past."

Kaoru merely nodded and decided to do that. Hiko seemed so much into the past that she even began to think that maybe she was lied to. She got herself comfortable under a shaded tree and started to think.

Meanwhile…Sano had been spying all over the place trying to find Kaoru. He didn't want to attack the wrong village. He had searched 4 other villages already and still no sign of Kaoru. But for some reason, he kept thinking this was the village she would be in. The main color was blue and that was Kaoru's favorite color. Maybe she had grown up here before. Finally, after many hours of watching, he was about to go back when he spotted her. She was lying comfortably under a tree murmuring about something. He was so excited to find her. He climbed carefully onto the tree. Aware of the chances of being caught, he slid down towards her.

Kaoru didn't even have time to feel his aura. She already knew he was there. "Sano!" She whispered loudly. They hugged like brother and sister.

On the other hand, Kenshin had been watching Sano since his first sighting of him. In fact, all the watchmen had been but were unable to make a move until Hiko said so.

Hiko, at the moment was furious to see Kaoru holding another man so friendly. If he didn't know any better, it looked to him like they were in love.

Kenshin suddenly had this inner fight within himself. He didn't even know if he wanted to sock the strange man or sulk by himself. It reminded him of what happened when they were younger.

_6-year old Kaoru sat next to his 7-year old self. She had a bowl of ice-cream. "Its vanilla." She smiled at him. She dipped the spoon in the bowl and shoved it at him. She then said with a serious face, "Okay, I'm your mom. So, eat."_

_Kenshin smiled, "Yes, mom."_

_As he was playing parent and child with Kaoru, another boy joined them. This boy had dark brown hair so unlike his own. Immediately he didn't like this boy._

_Kaoru smiled at the boy, "Want some?"_

_Kenshin frowned, "He cant have any."_

_Kaoru huffed, "Yes, he can. I'm your mom."_

_Kenshin crossed his arms, "No, your not."_

_Kaoru frowned, "So."_

_Kenshin pridefullly said, "I'm older than you. So, you have to listen to me."_

"_By six months!" Kaoru continued, "Which isn't fair."_

_The brown haired boy watched as the two fought. "You two sound like my mom and dad. They do that a lot, especially when I'm around."_

_Kaoru brightened, "I got it, you be the dad Shinta and I'll be the mom, he can be the boy!"_

_Kenshin agreed, "Alright, then you're my wife. Unless you want to be my fiance?"_

"_Okay, whatever that word means." Kaoru smiled._

_Kenshin felt so happy._

Kenshin watched the two below and then said to himself amused at his childhood, "I got it. She's supposed to be mine. That's why I'm so jealous."

He watched Kaoru sit onto the strangers lap like a little girl. "I knew you would come for me."

Kenshin actually got caught off guard at the statement. His hand slipped on the branch he was holding onto and he barely caught himself on time before he lost his balance.

Hiko took a swig on his sake and when he also heard the statement come from Kaoru's mouth, he spewed out. Both couldn't believe what they just heard.

Kaoru stared at a flower in her hand. "Big brother, I've been thinking." Kenshin and Hiko then sighed with relief after they heard this.

"Thinking? Why?" Sano said leaning his head against the tree with his eyes closed.

"Well, this man named Hiko wants me to remember something about the past. But I cant figure it out." She frowned.

"Has he left you any hints?" Sano mumbled.

"I guess, but all these hints keep turning up to Shinta. But you know I cant remember who Shinta looked like. I just keep thinking about his stupid red hair. I cant see his face."

Kenshin was confused, "Stupid, red hair?"

Hiko laughed, "Stupid, red hair!"

Kaoru continued, "It's like something is blocking me from seeing his face. I remember this one time when I was walking in the village after learning the ninja ways of our clan. I think I was around the age of 8. I had been wandering around, trying to haggle the vendors the way you taught me. As, I was walking, I thought I saw Shinta. But before I could call out to him, Aoishii had called me back."

"Yeah, I remember that. That was the first time you sneaked out, so Aoishii had to erase part of your memory."

"He can erase memories?" Kaoru asked.

"You don't remember?" Sano said opening his eyes. "Well, it's a good thing that you don't. You'd probably be traumatized if you remembered. He erased my memory, and I don't remember what my childhood was like at all."

"I never knew that." Slowly the feeling of anger started to enfold her thinking of Aoishii.

Hiko sat watching the two when one of his ninja advisors patted him on the shoulder, "That boy that the young miss is with looks so familiar, don't you think…that hair, and those EYES…sir I believe that he's my SON!"

Hiko spewed out his drink, "Your son?"

The ninja advisor silently appeared before Sanosuke, who was taken aback. The tears rolling down his face as he cried out, "My son!" Reaching out to Sanosuke who already flinched reaching for the weapon on his side he hugged him.

Sano held his weapon ready to attack but he didn't want Kaoru to be harmed so when the man hugged him, he was astonished. "I don't have a dad!"

Meanwhile Kenshin watched the embrace, and it had somewhat triggered another memory from long ago.

"_Why do they call you Sano? Kaoru said your name was Sano too, but her dad calls you Sanosuke. Is that a nickname?" Kenshin asked slurping a cup of water. (7-years of age)_

_Sano yawned and ran a lazy hand through his spiky hair, "I don't know. Kaoru's the only one that calls me Sano. That's cause were friends." (6-years of age)_

"_Well I'm friends with her too! And she calls me Shinta!" Kenshin said angrily leaning on a sliding door._

"_So! That doesn't mean she's your bestest friend! Besides I go to Kaoru's house all the time! I live next door to her, so I come over everyday!" Sano stood up putting his arms to his side and glaring at Kenshin._

_Kenshin glared at Sano. He was already jealous that Sano was taller then he was. "Oh yeah, well I get to come over too but I never see you there!"_

"_That's cause sometimes, I stay at my aunts house down the road when my parents have to work."_

"_Oh, really?" Kenshin asked intrigued at Sano's lifestyle._

_Sano quickly forgot his anger and whispered to Kenshin, "Wanna know a secret bout' Kaoru?"_

"_Uhuh." _

_Sano leaned over and whispered, "Kaoru told me that this guys red hair. She said, "Shinta gets on my nerves. He always bothers me!"_

_Kenshin huffed, "You're a liar, Kaoru's my friend."_

"_Sano!" A man opened the sliding door causing Kenshin to be off balance for a second. "There you are!" The sound of relief filled his voice._

_Sano smiled, "Dad, is mom home yet? She promised she would take to Dr. Ganzai to see Megumi the Fox!"_

_The man laughed, "Ah, Sano my son, she's not here yet, she'll be home soon though. In the meantime, just stay here with Kenshin your friend. Kaoru's coming over soon with Megumi, so you might still see the fox."_

_Sano winked, "I would never miss that."_

_Kenshin was puzzled, "Why do you call Megumi a fox?"_

_Sano whispered, "Don't you know, when you see a good-looking girl, you call her a fox! My brother taught me that."_

"_So does that mean Kaoru's a fox?" Kenshin was puzzled still._

_Sano smirked, "You think Kaoru's a fox?"_

_Kenshin blushed, "She's very pretty, way prettier then Megumi."_

_Sano was intrigued, "How so?"_

_Kenshin though for a second, "Well, Kaoru's really nice and she has pretty hair. She also wears pretty ribbons in her hair. And Kaoru's got really pretty blue eyes, not like mine."_

"_I guess so but she's not my type of fox." Sano smiled._

_Kenshin still remembered Sano's crush on Megumi. Funny, how strange things trigger memories like that. So that guy with Kaoru was also part of this clan as well. _

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Okay, so i thought about this story a lot and decided to redo most of it because it was neglected for so long, but i did write a lot during the summer. I hope its spaced out pretty well, i got some comments that really helped me put this peice together. Thanks for the support!


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